The present invention relates to a system for processing barges. The present invention has particular utility with respect to transporting and refurbishing unpowered river barges. As used herein, the term “river barge” means a barge adapted for use on an inland waterway, including an intracoastal waterway.
River barges are large, having a length of about 100-450 feet (about 30 to about 135 meters), a width of about 30-75 feet (about 9 to about 23 meters), and a depth of about 8-30 feet (about 2.5 to about 9 meters). Most river barges in the United States come in two sizes, standard or jumbo. A standard river barge has a hull which is 195 feet (59 meters) long, 35 feet (10.7 meters) wide, and 10-14 feet (3 to 4.3 meters) deep. The hull thickness for a standard barge is approximately ⅜ inch- 1/2  inch (about 0.95 to about 1.25 cm). A jumbo river barge typically has a hull 297 feet (90.5 meters) long, 54 feet (16.5 meters) wide, and 12 feet (3.7 meters) deep. The thickness of the sides and bottom varies according to construction specifications of a particular barge. Based on construction differences, all these sizes may vary by ±5%. The standard river barge has a typical unfilled weight of 300 U.S. tons (272,000 kg). The jumbo river barge has a typical unfilled weight of 1,000 U.S. tons (907,000 kg).
River barges are typically generally rectangular as viewed in plan, with a length greater than their width. Their hulls are generally flat-bottomed, and one or both ends may be square (box hull) or sloped (rake hull). They may have internal structures and superstructures adapted for carrying particular types of cargo, and may be classified, for example, as a hopper barge, a tank barge, or a deck barge. A hopper barge typically has a coaming of from eighteen inches to six feet in height. A cover, such as a fiberglass cover or steel cover may be provided to secure the cargo hopper from the elements, may be provided over the coaming.
The exterior surfaces of river barges are sometimes painted to protect them from corrosion. Over time, however, the exterior surface, and in particular the hull, of the barge begins to corrode because of contact with the water and the atmospheric environment. To refurbish these barges, a typical process comprises manual sand blasting and manual spray-painting the barge surfaces. The current methods for blasting and painting are either performed on a dry-dock or on marine ways. In a dry-dock, water is drained, the barge is manually blasted with abrasive, as much abrasive is cleaned up as can easily be accomplished, the barge is painted manually, the barge is floated over sufficiently that when water is again drained the spots where it was supported can be recoated.
In one marine ways process, the barge is partially pulled from an inland waterway and the surface is processed (sand blasted and painted) on the landside surface and on as much as the stern and bow of the barge as accessible. As such, this current process may still position part of the barge within the waterway. After the paint has dried, the barge is lowered back into the waterway and shifted around by a boat so that the other side can be exposed when pulled from the waterway. This manipulation of the barge on a flowing river or in a confined bay is extremely difficult and labor intensive. Once pulled from the waterway, this exposed side is blasted and painted to match the other processed side of the barge. Besides being inefficient with respect to processing only one side of the exterior surface of the barge at a time, these sandblasting and painting processes result in spent materials falling on the ground and being exposed to the waterway. An alternative marine ways process is to pull the barge up level, sufficiently far from the waterway to erect scaffolding, and the barge is processed from the embankment and from the scaffolding. Again, spent materials are largely exposed to the ground and to the waterway. The inefficiencies and hazardous environmental conditions produced by all these methods are further exacerbated by the size of the jumbo barges. The current methods are extremely expensive and very few environmental controls can be incorporated into the processes.